Ella Runs
by FalselyTrue
Summary: Ella runs, reflecting on the impact Max has had on her life. Warning: Ella is a bit okay, a lot OOC. It's a bit dark, but try it. R&R?


**I've always wondered...why does Ella love Max so much? I wrote this in kinda a...depressing...mood, so her thoughts and the story itself is kinda dark.**

**I don't own Max Ride, never have, and after writing this, I'm not sure I want to...**

**This is a lot different from all of my other stuff, just FYI, but hopefully still good.**

* * *

Her feet hit the pavement, her thoughts whirl in her head.

_**Faster, faster, faster.**_

It's not running _for_ her life—it's running to _have_ a life.

She's not her sister, she's only a human. She doesn't have wings, she can't fly. She's only human, after all. _Not all of us can be angels like __**her**_, she thinks angrily.

_**Faster, faster. Faster, faster!**_

Feet smack the pavement, following her. She pushes harder, races farther, faster, farther, faster!

**It's not **_**her**_** fault that **_**she's**_** got wings, it's not **_**her**_** fault your mom was kidnapped!** An annoying voice that sounds so much like _**her**_ echoes in her head.

_But it is. If she hadn't found us, Mom never would have been kidnapped. Mom would have been helping me with my homework, baking cookies for my school fundraiser, something else she forgot because of __**her**_, she snaps back, to the voice, and keeps running.

_**Faster, farther, faster, farther, faster!**_

A second set of feet ran up and run beside her. She stiffens, then keeps running, faster. It's only **him**. He's alright, a friend since forever.

But he doesn't know about _**her**_. So she can't talk about what's wrong. They can only run.

_**Farther, farther, farther!**_

She keeps running even when he stops. She's a track star at her school, something _**she**_ never bothered to learn about. Of course _**she**_ never did. _**She's**_ the famous savior of the world. _**She**_ doesn't have time for little sisters.

She keeps running, not caring that she's been doing this for three hours. Finally, exhausted, she turns and runs back along the deserted road, a shadow flitting in and out of the flickering street lights.

A gunshot rings out; she keeps running, fighting to get out of there alive. She hadn't noticed she'd run into the dangerous part of town.

_**Faster, farther, faster!**_

More gunshots, and she goes faster. She remembers what happened last time she was here—she'd met _**her**_.

A mysterious girl had saved her life, and _**she'd**_ become her own personal hero.

The girl had turned out to be her sister, and she could say, _I'm related to her! You've heard of her, she's only saved the world for all humanity!_

But then _**she'd**_ crossed the line. _**She'd**_ betrayed her and her mother to save _**her**_ precious boyfriend.

Now, she hated it.

She hated that she'd been so weak, that she'd needed an unknown girl to save her life. She'd hated the girl for being the strong girl she couldn't be.

She hated her sister for destroying what little she'd even left behind.

Her mother spent all her time with _**her**_. Mom had forgotten all about her. CSM took up all her time, _**she**_ took up what little was left. None was left for her.

_**Harder, Faster, Farther.**_

No one was her friend, no matter what she pretended to her sister. She was alone; just the way she liked it. She'd had friends, once, but then she'd decided she wanted to be alone.

She'd never been happier.

She'd been on the lacrosse team before, been the best friend of everyone, but now, the only sport she did was running. Track and field, cross-country, marathons, it didn't matter, as long as she could run.

When she ran track, it was only her, the clock, and seven people she had to beat.

_Gabriella Martinez was never second._

Another gunshot punctured the night air, and she was jerked out of her thoughts.

"Come on, Ella, you can do it!" A voice rings out, and she runs towards it.

She reaches the kitchen door, and hands pull her in. "Ella, that was way too close. Don't you ever run alone at night, do you hear me? Ella? Ella!" Her mother cries, and the world swims before her eyes.

"I'm not Ella. I'm… I'm ..." She gasps, before the whole world just…

.

.

.

.

Freezes.

.

.

.

.

Gabriella's lost. She's not sure who she is anymore. She was Ella, once, but not anymore. Ella was the weak little girl who couldn't save herself. Ella was the sister of Maximum Ride. Ella was the little girl with the crush on Iggy.

She's not Gabriella. That's the name her stuffy old great aunt calls her. Gabriella was a goody-two shoes, which she's not. And she'll never be one ever again.

She's not Gabby. Gabby's the girl with no friends who runs to escape. Gabby's the only one who understands herself, Gabby's the girl who's grown up too fast.

She's not sure who she is.

Maybe she's Riel. Riel. She likes the sound of that, Riel.

A new self. The world begins to move again.

.

.

.

.

"Ella?" It's another voice than her mother's. It's soft, but sharp and deadly, too.

"I'm not Ella. I'm Riel." Her voice is dry and rusty." Slowly, Riel swings her legs over the edge of the bed, and sits up. Then she glares into the face of _**her**_.

"I'll never be Ella again." She snaps, and pushes to her feet. Then, she's off running again, but this time...she knows she's starting over.

Maybe she'll be nice to _**her**_. Maybe.

But she's gotta earn Riel's respect first.

That'll be a tough battle.

Behind her, a second pair of feet begin to move to the same rhythm as Riel's. A third pair fall into harmony, and a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, a seventh.

Riel's running, and so is her sister, her only friend, her one-time crush, her sister's boyfriend, her step-siblings.

Riel listens for one last set of feet. There it is. Slower, less sure, heavier footfalls. Her mother.

But she outruns them all. They probably let her, but she's going to prove she can keep going.

Sixteen year old Riel runs alone now.

She's left behind her past in the dust. After that one run with her family, she's never run with anyone ever again.

Ella Martinez wouldn't have run away.

But Riel Madison has.

And she'll never go back.

* * *

**And....Finished. I don't think too many people will like it, but I needed to get the depressing stuff outta my system, or else I would've killed everyone in CL, and I'm pretty sure THAT wouldn't have gone over well...**

**Luna**

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End file.
